FOREIGN MEDIA ABOUT GEORGIA

MOSCOW — The police clashed with antigovernment protesters in Georgia on Sunday, at one point firing tear gas and rubber bullets, as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital of the former Soviet republic to demand the ouster of President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Concerns continued over the progress of investigations into crimes under international law during the war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008 and in its immediate aftermath. Despite some progress, solutions for the housing and integration of internally displaced people remained insufficient.

Georgia’s main regulatory authority for radio and television says preference in the granting of broadcast licenses will be given to applicants that seek to entertain, rather than inform. Some observers in Tbilisi see the announcement as a government attempt to manipulate upcoming presidential and legislative elections.